Choose the right past tense in context. The #1 challenge for intermediate learners.
| Tense | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Preterite | Completed action | Ayer comí paella |
| Preterite | Specific time | Llegué a las 3 |
| Preterite | Sequential events | Me levanté, desayuné y salí |
| Imperfect | Ongoing/background | Hacía sol y los pájaros cantaban |
| Imperfect | Habitual past | De niño jugaba en el parque |
| Imperfect | Description in past | La casa era grande y bonita |
| Imperfect | Age in past | Tenía 10 años |
| Imperfect | Time in past | Eran las 3 de la tarde |
In narratives, imperfect sets the scene (era de noche, hacía frío) and preterite moves the story forward (llegó un hombre, abrió la puerta). Think of imperfect as the background movie and preterite as the action scenes.
| Words | Tense | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ayer, anoche, el lunes | Preterite | Specific time |
| una vez, de repente | Preterite | Single event |
| siempre, todos los días | Imperfect | Habitual |
| mientras, cuando (background) | Imperfect | Ongoing |
| de niño, en aquella época | Imperfect | Period of time |
| durante 3 horas | Preterite | Bounded duration |
1. 'Ayer _____ (comer) pizza':
2. 'De niño _____ (jugar) al fútbol':
3. '_____ (llover) cuando salí':
4. 'Imperfect' sets the:
5. 'De repente _____ (sonar) el timbre':
6. '_____ las 3 cuando llegué':
7. 'Siempre _____ (ir) a la playa en verano':
8. 'Simultaneous ongoing actions' use:
9. 'Mi abuelo _____ (tener) 80 años':
10. '_____ (estudiar) 3 horas ayer':
Preterite vs imperfect is consistently rated the most difficult Spanish grammar concept for English speakers. English uses one past tense where Spanish uses two.
Imperfect is the wide camera shot showing the setting. Preterite is the close-up action shot. In any story, you need both.